New England Patriots: 1 compelling prediction in dogfight vs Browns
The New England Patriots travel to Cleveland to face the Browns in Week 6. Both teams are 2-3 and need this win to even their season’s record at .500.
The Patriots are coming off a stellar performance, trouncing the Detroit Lions in a 29-0 whitewashing at Gillette Stadium. The Browns lost their last game against the LA Chargers by two points and will be eager to get back on track at home.
This one is shaping up to be a real slugfest with some juicy storylines. Let’s look at a few and predict who’ll take the prize Sunday.
New England Patriots vs Cleveland away, hot topics
An always juicy tidbit when these two teams clash is Bill Belichick’s motivation to stomp on the franchise that kicked him to the curb after four years in his first head coaching job. (Note: ironically, his only playoff win during those four years was against the New England Patriots!)
An important key for the Patriots will be who starts at quarterback. Will the injured Mac Jones be ready to step in and play (and will he play even if he is healthy?) or will rookie backup, Bailey Zappe, the precocious fourth-round pick start again?
Whether there already exists a quarterback “controversy” in New England is subject to conjecture. Yet, one thing seems certain, if Zappe starts and plays well against Cleveland and beats the Browns with a good performance, then all bets will be off on who the starter will be subsequently.
That means at least for the next game against Chicago at home on Monday Night Football. It’s a super storyline and having an abundance of riches at the quarterback position is never a bad thing, at least for a reasonable period of time. This one will be interesting to watch. The bet here is that Zappe gets the nod as he should have immediately after Jones went out.
Whoever it is, he has to protect the ball at all costs. Turnovers will certainly trash the Patriots’ hope of evening their record Sunday.
New England Patriots defensive and offensive lines will be key
Another test will be the Patriots ability to stop the Browns best offensive player, Nick Chubb. Chubb is a dynamic big back averaging 118 yards per game. He’s one of the NFL’s best and it still stings that the Patriots passed on Chubb to take Sony Michel (since traded for a measly sixth-round pick) in the 2018 draft.
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Stopping Chubb will be the key match-up for the Patriots’ defense. If he runs free, it’s bad news for New England. Employing their best defensive lineman, Christian Barmore on the nose will be a huge asset in the trenches, clogging running lanes for the powerful and very elusive Chubb. Barmore is the X Factor on defense Sunday.
There will also be a big test for the Patriots offensive line as they face off against one of the best defensive ends in football, Myles Garrett. The Browns also throw Jadaveon Clowney into the mix at pass rusher though both are a bit dinged up.
The onus will be on big Patriots’ offensive left tackle, Trent Brown, and right tackle, Isaiah Wynn who’s been struggling at his new position, to contain this pair if they are on the field. That’s no easy task.
Mike’s prediction for the New England Patriots Sunday
So with all this in mind, who will win this important tilt Sunday when the Patriots travel to Cleveland to face the Browns? The call here is New England for the following reasons.
First, Zappe will likely start and continue and maybe even enhance his form from the previous two games. The rookie can smell opportunity and he’s unlikely to throw away his big chance to make a statement and possibly grab the starting position over Jones long-term.
Zappe is talented, he’s a gamer, and he won’t shy away from leading. It’s just what New England needed to run around their lackluster start to the season under a largely ineffective Jones.
On defense, stop Chubb and you stop Cleveland. Bill Belichick will usually seek to take away the opposing team’s best asset and that is Nick Chubb. Expect New England to load up in the first two levels and seek to make Jacoby Brissett or whoever plays quarterback for the Browns beat them.
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That’s easier said than done, however. Chubb is one of the best in the business and stopping him will be no easy task no matter how they deploy their defense.
That notwithstanding, the call here is for the Patriots to win. With an improving Zappe at the offensive controls and an opportunistic defense that is making believers out of ardent skeptics, they’ll overtake the Browns by a score of 27-10 and even their record at 3-3.